A senior Democratic congressman sues former US president Donald Trump, accusing him of violating the 19th century “Ku Klux Klan Act” by supporting the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Bennie Thompson accuses Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and extremist groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of violating the 1871 act by supporting efforts to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden as the new US president.
File: Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., speaks during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, on Capitol Hill, Sept. 17, 2020 (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
Thompson, who is Black and the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, cites a law originally created to protect the rights of African Americans after the Civil War and the end of slavery.
The lawsuit is filed in federal court in Washington two days after Trump was acquitted of supporting insurrection in an impeachment trial in the Senate.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
